Category Archives: Sports Massage

Just before you consider the possible benefits which sports massage provides, you will need to understand that massage itself isn’t only for injured people. However it can also offer many benefits to uninjured people who are aiming to improve their overall sport performances.

The primary reason for sports massage therapy is usually to support the reduction of tension and stress which accumulates in the body’s soft tissues in the course of training. Wherever minor injuries and wounds occur, as a result of over exertion or excessive use, massage can easily break them down rapidly and efficiently. Most importantly, it will also help reduce those little incidents that usually get in the way of overall performance and success, no matter whether you are a sports person, hardcore keep-fitter or a weekly jogger.Read More

It is essential that the sports massage practitioner treats within their scope of professional practice.

The SMT will not always have the ability to treat every client who enters their clinic. Where appropriate, referring a client to another practitioner or medically qualified individual will help identify the problem and increase the client’s chance of a fast recovery. In many cases, the client will be referred back to the therapist with specific advice which will assist in correct treatment.Read More

There are 4 different types of massage contexts which can assist in the performance, recovery and maintenance of an individual.

Pre-event massage

A pre-event massage should take place immediately before the event being prepared for. Ideally with a client leaving the massage bed and walking directly on to the playing field, court or arena. When performing a pre-massage for a team sport it is very hard to get through everyone, therefore there is a 2-hour period before the event takes place to receive a massage.Read More

In order for an individual to create an effective and efficient movement, it is essential that the soft tissues are functioning properly. Any impairment of the soft tissue, including: Muscles, tendons, ligaments and cartilage will directly affect the quality of a movement. Impairment of soft tissue, can be caused by 2 factors:

-Dysfunction

-Injury

Dysfunction

Dysfunction can be described as an abnormality in soft tissue function. It possesses no specific condition such as a disease and it is free from inflammation. It can be described as having aches and pains or being tense. Soft tissues are placed under stress and demand every day, in a whole range of activities and they thrive being in this condition as they improve and adapt accordingly. However, these stresses can lead to imbalances which can over time lead to injury. A small imbalance could be a shortened muscle, a weakened muscle, an altered joint movement or faulty nervous stimulation. Two causes of dysfunction include:Read More

Setting the couch to the right height is the first crucial step in ensuring that you are able to work at a comfortable height to be most effective.

To achieve proper body mechanics, you need to adjust the couch based on the following criteria:

-Size of your client: The structure and body size of your client will play an important role in the placement of your arms away from your body. A larger individual would require the bed to be lowered.Read More

Health, safety, hygiene and protection are essential in the work place, and even more so in a sports massage environment. The law demands every work place is safe and healthy for employees and clients.

There are a handful of laws which must be followed including:

The Health and Safety at Work Act (1974) provides the comprehensive underlying legal framework to encourage, promote and maintain high standards of health and safety. To ensure businesses are actively achieving this, the employer must:Read More

Injury management is the process of understanding what has happened when an athletes tissue is damaged, which allows you decide on the appropriate treatment or action for your client.

Injury management is not only about providing sound treatment- it is as much about ‘managing’ the athlete, so that their actions help reduce inflammation and the risk of further injury and promote recovery.Read More

Sports massage is a form of massage involving manipulation of soft tissue to benefit an individual who is engaged in regular physical activity.

Sports massage benefits people who exercise, by assisting in the process of overcompensation and adaptation. During and after exercises the body’s system has to adapt to cope with the increased stress placed on them. These adaptations affect the muscles, bones, tissue, nerves and the brain. In the right measure, at the right frequency, regular exercise enables the body to cope with increased levels of stress (overload), which allows the body to exercise at higher intensities for longer periods of time. This is all possible due to a process called compensation.Read More

The focus of any post-event massage must be recovery and repair.

The massage will ideally take place immediately after the conclusion of an event. Should there be any significant delay (e.g. if the massage takes place the following day), the SMT can begin to consider this treatment as a maintenance massage and the selection of techniques may vary accordingly.

Effects of post-event massage:

– Mental recovery

Intense training and completion can be extremely mentally demanding. Post-event massage will help the athlete ‘unwind’, so the SMT may well find that they unwittingly become an ‘agony aunt’ for ‘what went wrong’ during the event. Empathy and an understanding of the stresses involved in sport is a useful asset for any SMT.Read More

A contra-action is a reaction which could occur in response to a massage.

Contra-actions can occur during or after a massage.

SMTs must make clients aware of possible treatment contra-actions during the informed consent procedure (before beginning and massage) and any precautions should be implemented to minimise the risk of contra-actions causing harm to an individual client. For example, this may mean adjusting the time of a massage booking or preparing an aftercare procedure (which is explained to the client at the time of booking).Read More